Fastrack

Hi all,

I'll be ordering my Mustang in just over a month. I'm still undecided on the colour. But I'm just wondering what everyones viewpoint on rust proofing is.

I plan to keep this car forever, and it'll never see snow or salt. But will be driven in the rain.

Should I rust proof or not. If I do, I don't fancy that oil based crap as it drips on everything, should I just get a coating of the solid type rust proofing just to be 100% safe.

The way I see is rocks and what not could be kicked up and the rain would than cause rust etc...

What does everyone think...

Ben

Can't wait to place my order!!

Altoid

You haven't even placed your order and you're worried about rust proofing? Place it already! Also, forever is a long time.

holderca1

Well the rust proofing is just for the underside of the car, so rocks chipping the paint won't be protected by that. But if it will never see salt, I would say you wouldn't need it. But remember that salt stays on the roads for awhile after the snow is gone.

Montrose

Rustproofing is for more than the under side of the car - that is undercoating. Rustproofing is done inside the doors, inside the rockers, in certain trunk areas, inside the engine hood, etc. anywhere that moisture can accumulate and cause rust.

Many cars come from the factory completely rust proofed, such as Volvo, and I was hoping that Ford would do the same with the Mustang. It's not just salt that causes rust - it's mainly moisture that gets trapped and can't escape or dry out properly.

I guess if you want to keep the car for a long time, you might look at both undercoating and rustproofing. Rust Check (sp?) does a good job of rust proofing, and it doesn't drip. I get my cars done once in a while with that, even though they are factory rustproofed (Volvos), and they are year round drivers. Of course, they need to drill holes in the sills, door jams, etc. and any other area that allows them to spray inside the body. I'll take a few visible plastic plugs over rust any day.

My 05 will be a summer driver, but I am still looking at doing what's necessary to prevent rusting. Winter storage can also cause rust....

Fastrack

Very true about the salt staying on the roads. I never thought of that.

What's wrong with thinking of everything that needs to be done Forver is a long time yep.

But if someone said they would still own a '64 Mustang today, I would've told them they were crazy.

We shall see.

Ripstang

I'm getting mine rust proofed from the dealer and scotch guarded/leather treated when it comes in .
Water and moisture still can cause problems in the long run .The same with spilled coke or pepsi in the front seat or carpet .
I'm also useing this car for summer only but want to try to make it last for at least 20 years before I have to do any major restoration work .
If you want to keep it for a long time the extra added steps are not going to hurt anything just help .

Fastrack

Montrose,

You are correct. When I say rust proofing.. I was thinking of undercoating and inside the doors etc..

I guess I'll add this to the list of things to do

My Taurus is 10 years old with very little rust, and it was rust proofed. So without driving in the winter, this car should last much longer.

Ben

adrenalin

FYI, the hard undercoating would need to be redone every couple of years. It cracks and allows water to sit inbetween the undercoating and the metal, which can cause your car to rust even faster than if you never undercoated at all.

Preacher

I don't know about undercoating. I wanted to have mine undercoated (I drive in ehavy winter conditions) but a couple of people (including the guy who the undercoating!!!!) told me that they would wait a few years before doing that... For the moment I just try to clean the underside of the car once a week.

Fastrack

adrenalin, Did you get your 'stang undercoated / rustproofed ? I can't remember if I read you drive it during the winter or not.

Preacher - Why would someone recommend waiting ? Even with my Taurus I get under the car when I wash it, and spray all the crap away.

I do have the Hard undercoating, so maybe the body is rusted out and I don't even realize it. It'll be my winter beater, so who cares

Thanks,

ben

Montrose

Yes, I would avoid the old style hard undercoating. I think that was the Ziebart method? That would harden and crack, and then the metal beneath the undercoating would rust as moisture got to it.

What I am looking for is a thin, blackish/brownish spray on undercoating, to go with the 'creeping' interior-of-body rust proofing, such as Rust Chek.

lozottd

If you were thinking of spending money on the car to help protect it "most dealers" will love to sell the "protection package" that will give you a warranty for the leather, fabric and paint. It needs to be re-applied to the leather and paint. What you really get is a cream conditioner and a wax to maintain the waranty. So if you are detailed in your maintenence, you may do this your self. I always prep my vehicles before I have the dealer add the protection as I know they may not be as detailed as myself. I work at a Ford store, our cost not including undercoating is $285. They then add $195 for undercoating. In my opinion, not worth it for undercoating a sports car! Truck maybe as they see more dirt road's.
The undercoating done at most dealers is applied very thin and not over most parts. I put my 99 anniversary GT Convertible Mustang on a hoist after getting the undercaosting done and was suprized by were they did spray and were they did not. I went ahead and painted all the exposed Steel parts that had surface rust on it. My 2003 Cobra Convertible I did the fabric and paint.

I also have had a few clients who would do a spring cleaning on the underside of the vehicle annualy to protect & have pride in a clean car. A pressure washer, Mothers and a baby dipper, some good quality wax and a weekend's work will be the best way to build a relationship with your travel companion.

The car comes with New Vehicle Limited Warranty includes:

3-year/36,000-mile Bumper-to-Bumper coverage
No deductible
5-year/unlimited-mileage Corrosion Perforation coverage This is to cover holes in sheet metal caused by corrosion. If you will be driving in Rain and no Salt or other cemicals on the road, you should be ok for a long time.

Badsnke98

Buy a new car and drill it full of holes? I think not. On todays cars the panels are electro-galvanized in production, rustproofing is a waste of money how ever you slice it. That is my opinon. If you truely care for the vehicle like I do, it is stored in the northern winters and not driven on wet roads. Therefore, I do not use a hose to wash the vehicle either. Water is the enemy and will find places that no rustproofing can get to.

adrenalin

Ben, I didn't get mine undercoated and I am not a believer in the stuff because I use to work at a place that applied various types of undercoating. If I ever was to get something it would be dripless oil-based but it is a mess and to do it right you need it applied every year and completed removed every 3 years and reapplied. You need to get holes drilled in several parts of the car for access points and then they use a rubber plug. Now the funny part. Look at an older car that had this done. Usually the metal around the rubber plug is all rusted because after drilling the hole the paint is not protected (primer/paint) and will rust. Kinda funny, getting a car rust proofed just so it will rust at the access points they created.

Montrose

Does the Mustang have electro-coated panels for sure? That would be good news.

metroplex

LEO and Neil will deride me for resurrecting a dead thread but rather than post another thread:

I noticed that there are plastic "clips" in the drain holes of the doors. Should these be removed for proper drainage?

Has anyone found a good rust proofing system for new/fresh metal? I am turned off by POR-15 due to the amount of prep required and how finicky it is with moisture and storage.

Glenn

its a good thread to bring back. I had my 2k gt undercoated and all that other stuff from the dealership forget what they call it .... but I will never ever have it done again.
We ended up with over spray on every thing and it just make the engine compartment look like it has a coat of mud on it. Cars are built a lot differently/better than they use to be. undercoating is a waste of cash imo.

SteelTownStang

+1... I agree, forever is a long time. Spend your money elsewhere.

J2snoop

In my opinion, rustproofing is completely unneccessary. It's a car and was designed to be driven OUTSIDE. Engineers take salt, snow, and rain into consideration when developing a car. Even though the mustang isn't exactly a winter car, it's tested for all types of environments, and that includes snow. The car does undergoe salt spray testing.

metroplex

Yes and it was only designed to be rust proof for 5 years. Ford considers 5 year old cars to be "old" and ready to be replaced.

I need the car to be rustproof for at least 15+ years. SVT Director Thai-Tang said he expects people to buy a Mustang and keep it as a family heirloom (pass it on to your son or daughter, etc...)